The airport has service to destinations throughout China. International destinations are mainly in the east and southeast Asia, and points of Africa, Europe, and South Asia. The airport also serves as a focus city for Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Hainan Airlines and Xiamen Airlines.

In 2017, Hangzhou airport handled 35,570,411 passengers,[3] which ranked 10th in terms of passenger traffic in China. Additionally, the airport ranked 6th busiest in terms of cargo with 589,461.6 tonnes and was the country's 9th busiest airport by traffic movements at 271,066.
The airport was planned to be constructed in three phases. The first phase of construction started in July 1997, and was completed and opened for traffic on 30 December 2000. It replaced the old Hangzhou Jianqiao Airport, which was a dual-use civil and military airfield. In March 2004, the airport officially became an international airport after immigration and customs facilities were built and put into service.[1] A second runway of 3,600 meters is also under construction. Terminal extensions are also under construction as of 2012.